The marine snails, called “pteropods“, are an important link in the oceanic food chain as well as a good indicator of ecosystem health.

“They are a major grazer of phytoplankton and… a key prey item of a number of higher predators – larger plankton, fish, seabirds, whales,” said Dr Geraint Tarling, Head of Ocean Ecosystems at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and co-author of the report.